People Australia

Joseph Morley (c.1760-1822), and five other men including John Leary, Francis Garland and Henry Roach, were found guilty on 3 March 1783 at Winchester, Southampton, of highway robbery. His death sentence was commuted to 7 years transportation to America on 21 April 1783. Morley was among the prisoners who mutinied on the convict transport Mercury in April 1784. Recaptured, he was sent to the Dunkirk hulk. He arrived at Sydney in January 1788 aboard the Friendship as part of the First Fleet.

Morley was sentenced to 100 lashes on 20 July 1789 for buying 'necessaries' from Private Mark Hurst. He married Mary Gosling on 19 December 1790; they settled on 50 acres at Prospect in 1791. By 1800 Morley was district constable at Prospect. In 1806 he had 20 acres sown in grain, 20 in pasture, and nine fallow, and owned 104 goats and 8 hogs.

Morley sold his farm to his younger cousin Joseph Morley jnr in 1807. Morley snr remained a district constable at Prospect until he was dismissed in 1820. He died at Parramatta in 1822. The administration of his estate was granted to Joseph Morley jnr who took Morley snr's widow into his household.